Arnhems stadsatlier

Second edition of Arnhems Stadsatelier

The Arnhems Stadsatelier is a collaboration between four Arnhem cultural organizations:

Theater a/d Rijn, Plaatsmaken, ArtEZ University of the Arts, and The Hub. The goal of this collaboration is to make the art world in Arnhem more diverse and accessible, both for artists and for the public. New ways of collaborating between art, the public, and society are central to this project.

In the Arnhems Stadsatelier, work periods are organized in which makers are given the space to conduct artistic research in various locations in Arnhem and to share this with the city's inhabitants. There is one long-term work trajectory, the city residency. This year, that is visual artist Frank Koolen. He has been selected to conduct research related to the city of Arnhem. In addition, six short residencies are organized, in which emerging makers are given the space to experiment, gain experience, further develop their skills, and share their work with the public.

In doing so, they receive support from the collaborating organizations. At Plaatsmaken, artists are given space to experiment in graphic workshops and the exhibition space. Theater aan de Rijn offers a stage and helps reach a suitable audience. ArtEZ provides support through the online platform APRIA, guidance on research questions, and contacts with study programs and students. The Hub connects students, autodidacts, and alumni and helps residents take their first steps in the professional cultural field.

The city resident for 2026 is artist, teacher, workshop leader, and organizer Frank Koolen. He creates installations, videos, performances, drawings, and sculptures. Frank enjoys creating work for and with others and wants to share the pleasure he derives from art with others. He believes that art should be nothing, but that it can be a beautiful starting point for social change or a different consciousness. His main driving force is his enthusiasm for the creative process as a motor for an open and empathetic perspective.

Important ingredients for Frank in this regard are the use of humor, disruption, and improvisation. In FIASCO TOTAAL, Frank Koolen's research, the creative process takes center stage as a driving force for play, conversation, and new discoveries. It is a dynamic, experimental, and playful exploration into the modes and effects of collectivity, ‘working together,’ and collaboration, in which the process and the shared experience are important.

On May 23, Frank is organizing a concluding event at Willemeen called CIRCUS FIASCO. Willemeen will become a swirling arena where a large group of makers from various media and disciplines will demonstrate what performance can be and what it can set in motion. A festive and surprising evening-long event that serves as a source of inspiration for casual visitors, makers, thinkers, and participants. CIRCUS FIASCO explores the core of performance in a multifaceted way: a consciously executed action. And in doing so, it poses the question: What can that action be, mean, and cause?

Throughout the year, six emerging makers are given space to experiment at Plaatsmaken and Theater aan de Rijn. The selected artists for this are Hanneke van der Paardt, Moya Wenno & Sascha Lekatompessy, Munganyende, Carmen Molenaar, Frida Berntsen, Isaac van den Aker. Updates regarding public activities

can be found on the partners' websites.

The conclusions of the research will be on display at various locations in the city. At the end of

2025, various presentations and workshops by Koolen took place at Omstand.

Upcoming events:

April 26 Hanneke van der Paardt ‍ ‍Theater aan de Rijn

May 14 and 17 Frank Koolen ‍ ‍Hoogte 80

May 23 Frank Koolen ‍ ‍Willemeen